


Our Golden Years

by Alt_jade127



Series: Great Big Book of Stucky Fics [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Birthday Parties, Children, Cute, Cute old people, F/M, Grand Children, Great Grand Children, I cried writing this, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Non-superhero AU, Sad, So so sorry, like I fucking sobbed, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 07:59:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alt_jade127/pseuds/Alt_jade127
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is Steve Rogers and Bucky is James "Bucky" Barnes. There is no such thing as Captain America, and Bucky never fell. They grew up, they married their people, had their kids, and married their people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Golden Years

It was Saturday, July 4, 2015 and Steve and Bucky had the kids over for a cookout to celebrate Steve's ninety-seventh birthday. Cynthia, Steve's first son's daughter's daughter was helping him carry out food to the front porch. They all sang happy birthday to Steve while he held Bucky's hand. Everyone was smiling, especially Bucky who smiled at Steve with admiration and love. Steve blew out his candles and smiled at everyone gathered around him before turning to give Bucky a quick kiss. His kids, and grandkids, and great grandkids all cheered loudly before his oldest daughter, Cynthia, cut the cake for them. 

"Here you go, Dad," She said rather loudly. "Bucky, do you want a piece?"

Steve watched Bucky smile and nod his head.

He was so lucky that his family took Bucky into their arms like they had. Bucky was his best friend, and after his wife, Peggy, died, he was one of the only people that he really talked to. Bucky helped him out of his hole, and has been by his side ever since. It was one of the best things ever, seeing all of his and Peggy's children gathered together. He felt bad that she wasn't there to share it with him, but he knew she was still there. He was glad he could share it with Bucky. He was glad Bucky wouldn't be alone. 

***

Everyone was gathered around each other watching the fireworks. Cynthia and her husband Theodore were sitting with their grand kids, Olivia, Laura, Carol, and Daniel while their parents helped clean up. Alexandria, Steve's youngest daughter, was trying to pull out a thorn from her daughter, Madison's, foot, while her husband, Kevin, and Jake, Steve's only son, discussed retirement. Jake's daughter Dawn, and her wife Taylor sat with the rest of Alexandria and Kevin's daughters, Abigail, Katie, and Brooklyn, teaching them to braid hair, and make cute bracelets. While Steve sat next to Bucky in their lawn chairs, watching the fireworks that Tye, Cynthia's son, was shooting off for them. 

Bucky held Steve's hand in his and played with the golden ring around Steve's finger, the one that he had given Steve the day they were married. It was an unconventional wedding is what Taylor said when they had first gotten in touch with her to start planning it. The fact that it was a gay marriage between two ninety year old men on a rainy day in June might have had something to do with it, but Steve knew that there was nothing conventional between him and Bucky. Steve had felt married to Bucky long before the actual ceremony, and to say otherwise would be blasphemy and a total lie. 

It was three years after Peggy had died that Steve realized his feelings for Bucky and he was thankful everyday that Bucky had waited on him. He was able to spend twelve beautiful years with Peggy before she passed, and he had three beautiful children out of it, and that is what made him happy. Bucky was there with him through the mourning and had stayed the night many nights to help him with the kids, and a preteen Cynthia who loved to cause trouble. It was his forty-fourth birthday that Bucky had told him that he really loved Steve and really cared about him the way he did, and here they are, fifty-three years later, married, and sharing a life together. 

Sometimes Steve felt bad for how much he loved Bucky. Almost like he didn't love Peggy as much as he had. Sometimes it made him feel bad, that he has this life he has now with Bucky instead of her, but he knows she'd be happy for him. Peggy loved Steve, and Steve still loves Peggy, but he loves Bucky too and that's okay. While it was a shame that he didn't get to spend as much time with Peggy as he does with Bucky, he knows that it couldn't be helped and sometimes it took some reassuring from Bucky, but Steve was always okay in the end. He was always okay in the end.

Steve had lived a long and beautiful life. He has attended all of his children's weddings and graduations, and most of their children's. He had been able to attend two of his own weddings, and he knew love like every person should. He knows love like every person should. 

He loves like every person should.

***

Four months had passed since Steve's birthday. His home is empty, aside from himself and the fat old basset hound, Lester. 

He was sitting at the dinning room table at three o'clock in the morning, speaking with a paramedic, tears in his eyes, and cold cup of coffee in his hands. 

Bucky was dead. 

He had had a stroke just a few hours prior to this very moment, not long after kissing Steve goodnight and telling him that he loved him. Steve was glad that the those were the last words that he heard Bucky say, and that he had returned them to him. He really did love his Bucky.

After the paramedic had called Cynthia to alert her of Bucky's passing, he had agreed to stay with Steve until then. 

So there Steve sat.

At the head of his too empty dinning room table. With his too old basset hound. Wearing his robe that belonged to a too old man.

The paramedic was trying to talk to him, but Steve couldn't say anything. What could he say? He had lived long enough to out live both of his spouses, and all of his friends. He had watched countless men die on the battlefield, and he had watched both of his most treasured people in his life die of something he couldn't help. He had saved Bucky's life once, but he was unable to now, and it broke him. It broke every part of him.

Cynthia came into the home to offer comfort.

The paramedic left.

Cynthia packed Steve up and took him home with her.

The sun rose, and all he could think about was the first night that he and Bucky had spent together and how they were able to watch the sun rise together. The sun seemed so much brighter then. Everything seemed so much brighter then. 

***

The funeral was three days later. 

It was a beautiful ceremony that Taylor had put together without having to be asked. There was lots of food, and lots of people. 

Steve spoke the most, and cried the most. He told everyone an epic story about two best friends from Brooklyn, and their journeys through Europe in the war. About how one of them had married a beautiful woman and had three beautiful children when he had to watch her die, and he was taken care of by his best friend. The story of his best friend becoming something so much more, and he told them about a beautiful wedding that had happened only a short six years prior to this year.

Steve tried not to cry when he listened to Cynthia speak about Bucky, and he was doing well until Laura asked him a very terrible question.

"Pappy? Why is Pawpaw in that black box?"

Steve stood to leave, and was helped by Jake. Steve wanted to go see Bucky's plot. He needed to go see Bucky's plot.

 

Steve stood in front of Bucky's plot. A double sided headstone. There was a spot for him, right in between Peggy and Bucky. Right where he needed to be. His best girl and his best friend. 

***

Steve carried on, just like he used to. Dawn moved in with him although he asked her not to, she had proposed to Taylor four weeks after Bucky's funeral. He knew he would be okay.

He was okay after the war, but he had Peggy and Bucky.

He was okay after Peggy, but he had Bucky.

He will be okay after Bucky, because he had his people.

Most people go all their lives without their person, and Steve was able to have had both of his people.

***

Steve was okay before he passed away seven years later. 

He was buried between his two people, just where he belonged.


End file.
